Oh, Those Towering Swedes And Their Folk

So here is the second installment of "Attack of the Swedes" here at The Mainstream Underground. Take a moment also to realize that this may be the only time ever that the words "attack" and "Swedes" will be used in the same name. Regardless, I'd like to swing the groove around a bit to fulfill the requests I've received for a push on the folk scene and I figured there was no better way to do that than to bring up the one and only Kristian Matsson, or as he has so modestly dubbed himself, The Tallest Man on Earth.

Matsson has a voice that is hit or miss for people, I can tell you that right now. He will be considered alongside the likes of Neil Young and Bob Dylan as the guy with "that freakin' weird voice". But there's a reason why voices like this catch on. It's because they are different. It's all in their phrasing, every word serves a specific purpose. We have heard so many voices come through the mainstream music machine, and yes some of those artists can hold their heads high for having created something unique in the process. However, a good amount of the music we hear that makes it to the top hits radio stations is basically different dough in the same cookie cutter. The mix may be different, but its boundaries are usually the same as all the others. Not to say this is bad, but it certainly doesn't maintain the purity of an artist's creativity. It's creativity from concentrate, and serves a family of 4.

The Tallest Man on Earth breaks the mold. He has the spirit of a travelling troubadour, in touch with the world around him, all folksy and free. Every time I listen to him I want to drop all of my material possessions, even if just for the day, and run off into the wilderness. He's just one of those voices that makes you think of things in a different way. Core values seem to take one step closer to the center stage. Peace of mind, not piece of shit car. Intimacy, not currency. Pure love, not dirty laundry. So strap on those overalls, take a puff of that ol' corn cob pipe, and take a walk in the over-sized shoes of The Tallest Man on Earth.